New water supply for Tipp on track for completion 

A new water supply for over 15,000 people in the Thurles, Borrisoleigh, Ballycahill and Holycross area is on the way, with significant progress being made in the completion of the Thurles Regional Water Supply Scheme.

The project, once operational, will provide a safe, secure water supply for Thurles, Borrisleigh, Ballycahill, Holycross and surrounds. It is being delivered by Irish Water in partnership with Tipperary County Council.

At the moment, drinking water for this area is supplied from eight separate sources. These sources are  vulnerable and are limited in capacity.

Works on the project got underway in early 2019.The new water treatment plant is being built on a site in Killeenyarda, near Holycross with a new intake and pumping station on the River Clodiagh at Rathkennan. The scheme also included the installation of 1000m of new water mains in Abbey Road, Thurles and Annfield Bridge, Borrisoleigh. Significantly the project will also enable the utilisation of previous infrastructure completed– including a 10,000 cubic-metre reservoir at Garrynamona and 41km of water main infrastructure.

The Thurles Regional Water Supply Scheme will provide a safe and secure water supply to the area and will promote sustainable development in the region.

Irish Water’s Regional Delivery Lead, Sean Twohig, says the project is on schedule for completion in the coming months.

“We are very pleased with the progress of this project, which will bring big improvements in terms of quality and reliability and help safeguard the water supply to Thurles and surrounding communities for many years to come. Having a safe, secure water supply is essential not only for the health and wellbeing of the local community but also in order to support social and economic development into the future.

“A construction project of this scale would not be possible without the support of the local community and we would like to thank local residents and businesses for their patience and co-operation as we carry out this essential work. We would also like to acknowledge the work being done by our delivery partners Glan Agua and the many local sub-contractors who are providing essential services.”

Significant capital investment is needed over a sustained period of several decades to address the poor condition of Ireland’s water and wastewater infrastructure. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in the Government’s Water Services Policy Statement and Irish Water’s Strategic Funding Plan. Irish Water has invested €3.8 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure to the end of 2019 and plans to invest a further €5.2 billion under its Capital Investment Programme from 2020 to 2024 in drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure.

For more details on this and other Irish Water projects in Tipperary, please see https://www.water.ie/projects-plans/